Method, system, and program for executing operations on a client in a network environment

• US 6,529,938 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1999
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cochran, Stephen Thomas, McNally, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Benson, Walter
• Application Number:
  US09/369,725
• Time in Patent Office: 1,306 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 709/225, 709/229, 717/11
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method, and program for executing operations on a client computer transmitted from a server over a network. A server operation is received indicating actions to perform on the client. A determination is made as to whether the requested operation is permitted according to a set of rules. The requested operation is executed on the client if there is no rule that prohibits the requested operation. The server is then notified that the requested action completed or that the requested action was not executed because of at least one rule prohibiting execution of the operation.

Claims

1. A method for executing operations on a client computer transmitted from a server over a network, comprising:

receiving a requested operation from the server indicating actions to perform on the client;

determining whether the requested operation is permitted according to a set of rules;

executing the requested operation to perform actions on the client if there is no rule prohibiting the requested operation;

determining whether the server submitted an override code with the requested operation, wherein the override code indicates to disregard any rule prohibiting the requested operation with which the override code is submitted;

executing the requested operation that is prohibited by at least one rule if the override code is provided; and

after processing the requested operation, transmitting a notification to the server of the results of the processing of the requested operation, wherein the transmitted notification indicates (i) that the requested operation completed or (ii) that the requested operation was not executed because of one rule prohibiting execution of the operation if no override code was submitted with the requested operation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying the server that the requested operation was performed after the presentation of the override message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the override code is included with the requested operation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing, with a client program a server program on the client transferred from the server to the client, wherein the server program performs the steps of providing the requested operation to the client program and notifying the server of one of the results, and wherein the client program performs the steps of determining whether the requested operation is permitted according to the set of rules and executing the requested operation if there is no rule that prohibits the action.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

returning, with the client program, indication to the server program that the requested operation will not be performed if at least one rule does not permit the action; and

returning, with the client program, indication to the server program that the requested operation was executed if there is no rule prohibiting the action, wherein the server program processes the indications from the client program to generate the notification to the server of one of the results.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a program executing within the client performs the step of notifying the server of one of the results over the network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the rules indicate that the requested operation is to be blocked during a specified time period; and

determining whether a current time falls within the specified time period, wherein the requested operation is not executed if the current time is within the specified time and wherein the requested operation is executed if the current time is not within the specified time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested operation is an operation that is a member of the set of operations consisting of:

program removal, program installation, program updating, determining client configurations, and controlling client operations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of rules are created by a client user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of client computers performing the steps of receiving server operations, determining whether the requested operation is permitted, executing the requested operation and notifying the server of one of the results, and wherein each client user is capable of separately configuring the set of rules for the client computer.

11. A system for executing operations in a network system including a network and a server, comprising:

a client computer;

a network for allowing the client computer to communicate with the server;

program logic, executed within the client, comprising;

(i) means for receiving a requested operation communicated from the server over the network indicating actions to perform on the client;

(ii) means for determining whether the requested operation is permitted according to a set of rules;

(iii) means for executing the requested operation to perform actions on the client if there is no rule prohibiting the requested operation;

(iv) means for determining whether the server submitted an override code with the requested operation, wherein the override code indicates to disregard any rule prohibiting the requested operation with which the override code is submitted;

(v) means for executing the requested operation that is prohibited by at least one rule if the override code is provided; and

(iv) means for transmitting, after processing the requested operation, a notification to the server over the network of the results of the processing of the requested operation, wherein the transmitted notification indicates;

(a) that the requested operation completed or (b) that requested operation was not executed because of one rule prohibiting execution of the operation if no override code was submitted with the requested operation.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the program logic further comprises means for notifying the server over the network that the requested operation was performed after the presentation of the override message.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the override code is included with the requested operation.

14. The system of claim 11, herein the program logic comprises a client program and a server program, wherein the client program includes logic for receiving the server program from the server over the network and executing the server program on the client, wherein the client program performs the steps of determining whether the requested operation is permitted according to the set of rules and executing the requested operation if there is no rule that prohibits the action, and wherein the server program performs the steps of providing the requested operation to the client program and notifying the server of one of the results over the network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the client program further comprises:

logic for indicating to the server program that the requested operation will not be performed if at least one rule does not permit the action; and

logic for indicating to the server program that the requested operation was executed if there is no rule prohibiting the action, wherein the server program processes the indications from the client program to generate the notification to the server of one of the results.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the client program is a daemon executing within the client.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the program logic further comprises:

means for determining whether the rules indicate that the requested operation is to be blocked during a specified time period; and

means for determining whether a current time falls within the specified time period, wherein the requested operation is not executed if the current time is within the specified time and wherein the requested operation is executed if the current time is not within the specified time.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the requested operation is an operation that is a member of the set of operations consisting of:

program removal, program installation, program updating, determining client configurations, and controlling client operations.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of rules are created by a client user.

20. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of client computers each executing the program logic to perform the steps of receiving server operations, determining whether the requested operation is permitted, executing the requested operation and notifying the server of one of the results, wherein each client user is capable of separately configuring the set of rules for the client computer.

21. An article of manufacture for use in programming a client computer to execute operations transmitted from a server over a network, the article of manufacture comprising computer usable media including at least one computer program embedded therein that causes the client computer to perform:

receiving a requested operation from the server indicating actions to perform on the client;

determining whether the requested operation is permitted according to a set of rules;

executing the requested operation to perform actions on the client if there is no rule prohibiting the requested operation;

determining whether the server submitted an override code with the requested operation, wherein the override code indicates to disregard any rule prohibiting the requested operation with which the override code is submitted;

executing the requested operation that is prohibited by at least one rule if the override code is provided; and

after processing the requested operation, transmitting a notification to the server of the results of the processing of the requested operation, wherein the transmitted notification indicates;

(i) that the requested operation completed or (ii) that requested operation was not executed because of one rule prohibiting execution of the operation if no override code was submitted with the requested operation.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, further comprising notifying the server that the requested operation was performed after the presentation of the override message.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the override code is included with the requested operation.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the computer programs embedded in the computer usable media include a client program and a server program, wherein the client program causes the client computer to perform the steps of determining whether the requested operation is permitted according to the set of rules and executing the requested operation if there is no rule that prohibits the action, wherein the client program further performs the steps of receiving the server program from the server over the network and executing the server program on the client, and wherein the server program performs the steps of providing the requested operation to the client program and notifying the server of one of the results over the network.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the client program further causes the client computer to perform:

returning indication to the server program that the requested operation will not be performed if at least one rule does not permit the action; and

returning indication to the server program that the requested operation was executed if there is no rule prohibiting the action, wherein the server program processes the indications from the client program to generate the notification to the server of one of the results.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 24, wherein the client program is a daemon executing within the client computer.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 21, further comprising:

determining whether the rules indicate that the requested operation is to be blocked during a specified time period; and

determining whether a current time falls within the specified time period, wherein the requested operation is not executed if the current time is within the specified time and wherein the requested operation is executed if the current time is not within the specified time.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the requested operation is an operation that is a member of the set of operations consisting of:

program removal, program installation, program updating, determining client configurations, and controlling client operations.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein the set of rules are created by a client user.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein there are a plurality of client computers, and wherein the at least one computer program is executed by each client program to perform the steps of receiving server operations, determining whether the requested operation is permitted, executing the requested operation and notifying the server of one of the results, and wherein each client user is capable of separately configuring the set of rules for the client computer.